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Are you prepared with a recipe arsenal for last-minute family and unannounced guests showing up this Holiday season ready to eat? Oh and don’t forget Auntie Pattie who is Paleo now, and Jimmy who has a peanut allergy, oh right and your gluten allergy.

Are you sweating already?

Its ok, I am here to help.

Let me introduce you to a healthy, quick, and easy dip that is usable for an appetizer dip with crackers or veggies, or to pull together a meal by using it as a spread for roasted meats, or even thinned out with some olive oil for a salad dressing.

Oh and did I mention its Gluten, Dairy, Grain, and Peanut Free?

Boom!

A bonus aspect to this recipe is that you can exchange the sunflower seeds for any nut or seed you have on hand. I usually make my own crackers but let’s be honest, during the holidays sometimes we need to take short cuts, so here are some links to gluten-free crackers that I have pictured with the dip.

Obviously fresh veggies would be optimal but we need to please a crowd so lets not be too pushy on family and friends during Thanksgiving about gluten-free this and vegan that. Just put the food down and make no health announcements (unless you need to) and see what the reaction is. Plus a dip made of carrots that is completely vegan is way better than the usual cream cheese stuffed fried food that is usually around, but they don’t need to know that right?

Carrot Sunflower Orange Date Spread

Yields 2

Vegan - Gluten Free - Grain Free - Paleo - Sugar Free - Make Ahead

Ingredients

1 Lb Carrots Peeled and Cut into 1/2'' Pieces

1 Cup Roasted Sunflower Seeds or Nut/Seed of Choice

1/2 Cup Pitted Dates (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes)

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Zest and Juice of 1 Orange

1/2 Tsp Fine Sea Salt

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Instructions

Steam the carrots for 5-7 minutes or until the carrots are easily pierced with a knife.

Drain the dates and add all of the ingredients to a blender.

Blend the mixture until smooth.

Taste for seasoning and transfer to a bowl and serve with crackers, crudite, or use as a dip for meat or veggies.

Notes

The sunflower seeds can be replaced with cashews, almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts.

Hopefully you had a beautiful, long, holiday weekend. My pool is open, I can smell the grill, and the weather is finally warming up :)

I find during the warmer months I am drawn to lighter fare with fresh ingredients, big punches of flavor and acidity.

Enter last nights appetizer that turned into dinner:

Middle Eastern Sumac Roasted Eggplant with Basil Serrano Salsa Verde

With the addition of an egg this can totally function as a light dinner. The components can also be served chopped up and tossed into mesculin greens using the salsa verde as a salad dressing. If you aren’t into eggs might I suggest you replace the egg with some soft goat cheese and feel free to sub the sunflower seeds with your favorite nut or seed (Marcona almonds, or pistachios would work beautifully).

Middle Eastern Sumac Roasted Eggplant with Basil Serrano Salse Verde

Serves 2

Gluten Free - Grain Free - Paleo - Vegetarian - Dairy Free

Ingredients

10 Baby Eggplants

1 tablespoon Olive Oil (for eggplants)

2 teaspoons Sumac

2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika

1 cup Flat Leaf Parsley

4 cups Basil Leaves

1/3 cup Olive Oil (for Salsa Verde)

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

1 Serrano Pepper (Diced with seeds removed)

2 teaspoons Lemon Zest (About 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 Eggs

2 heaped tablespoons Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Instructions

Roasted Eggplant

Step 1

Pre heat the oven to 475F

Split the eggplants in half lengthwise and liberally cover them in olive oil.

In a small bowl combine the Sumac, Smoked Paprika, and two big pinches of fine sea salt.

Liberally sprinkle the eggplant with the spice mixture reserving a small pinch for the eggs.

Place the eggplants on a sheet pan and roast for 25-30 minutes or until charred and softened. (A knife should pierce very easily when pressed against the flesh)

I have recently been asked for some new ways to serve beets beyond the usual steam and eat. Well first off, never underestimate the power of roasting any vegetable on high heat with olive oil salt and pepper but beets love acid, nuts, and cheese. Check out my flavor combination pages for more ideas for your veggies but here are some of my favorite combos for beets:

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Combine beets, carrots and onion in large bowl. Mix in egg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the flour; stir to blend well.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup beet mixture for each pancake, drop 4 pancakes into skillet. Flatten each into 3-inch round. Cook until brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to baking sheet in oven; keep warm. Repeat with remaining beet mixture make sure to wipe out the pan and start with fresh oil before each new batch. Keep warm in oven until ready to serve.

Aioli:

In a medium bowl add all of the ingredients and whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning and top each pancake with a spoonful. This can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

It’s a Holiday weekend so I know many of you are scrambling to find some party friendly recipes to impress your family and friends. How about homemade grain free crackers topped with balsamic glazed pears a mustard cream sauce and goat cheese? Say yes, because these will knock your socks off and make you look like a rock star, especially since they are vegetarian, grain free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.

I found this recipe for grain free almond flour crackers on zenbellyblog.com and this is the base but its a great recipe to have in your back pocket for parties.

If you are dairy free you can omit the cheese in this recipe and replace it with some candied walnuts but if you are looking to splurge the goat cheese really sends it over the top. It might seem like a lot of steps and ingredients but it’s really simple and you can make all the components ahead of time and assemble when you are ready to serve.

In the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl with a whisk) add the egg and olive oil and pulse (or whisk) to combine. Add the salt, almond flour, and rosemary and pulse or mix until a ball of dough is formed.

Kneed it a few times to make sure everything is well incorporated. Place the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out with a rolling-pin until the dough is 1/8” thick. Cut into squares (2’‘x2’‘) with a pizza cutter and transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges.

Instructions for the Mustard Cream:

Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add them in a high powder blender or a food processor along with the orange juice.

Pulse/blend until a smooth cream is formed. If it’s becoming hard to blend add more oj or water a little bit at a time.

Add the mustard, honey/stevia/coconut syrup, pepper, pinch of salt and blend until a smooth cream is created.

Taste for seasoning and sweetness. Set aside.

Instructions for the Pears and Assembling :

In a saute pan over medium heat add the olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer add the sliced pears and sprinkle with the salt and thyme, and saute for 3-5 minutes or until they start to brown and crisp up around the edges.

Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and drizzle the honey or coconut nectar over the pears. Cook for one minute then lower the heat to a simmer and stir and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the balsamic vinegar has reduced to a syrup and there is no liquid in the pan.

Remove the pears from the pan and set aside in a bowl to cool.

Right before assembling add the chopped frisee in a bowl and start by spooning 3/4 of the mustard cream over and toss with tongs until the lettuce is well covered in the dressing adding more if needed.

Lay the crackers out in an assembly line. Place a small handful of the dressed frisee on each cracker. Then add 3-4 slices of the sautéed pears over the lettuce and then top with a few small slices of brie or a few small pieces of crumbled goat cheese.